Moments of Vaughn
by P.Jay13
Summary: Everybody's favorite cowboy at his best... And worst. R&R please!
1. Age is Just a Number

Age is Just a Number

"Chelsea, for the last time; I'm only 21!" Vaughn yelled, stopping trudge coming out of the resident farmer's barn.

The annoying, hyper farmer had been following him around all morning as he brought her a calf and the fodder she ordered, mostly questioning his abnormal hair color and age. He would never understand how she managed to run a farm and annoy the crud out of him each day he was on the island. Saying she liked to start conversations and be friendly would be an understatement.

"Oh c'mon, Vaughn!" she giggled, oblivious to his wearing patience. "You have to admit, your hair _does _make you look kinda...elderly."

"I have the face of a grown man!" he shouted exasperatedly.

"And the attitude of Taro before he takes one of his naps," she added, smirking slightly.

"My hair has always been this way, and so has my personality," Vaughn stated gruffly, crossing his arms with a scowl. "If you don't like it, it's not in my nature to care."

"So you've always been cranky and old?"

"Yup." It wasn't until she started giggling when he realized what he could've said differently.

"Wait, I mean-" Chelsea then started bursting out into laughter at his tomato-looking face. Whether it was reddened because of his embarrassment or frustration, she didn't care. She loved to see the reactions and looks she could get out of him other than just his signature bitter glare or the cold shoulder. This was almost as good as the time she stole his hat and made him chase her for it.

_Almost._

Vaughn could actually feel a vein popping out of his forehead as Chelsea fell to her knees, clutching her quickly-heaving stomach. Unable to take anymore of her irritating laughter at his own expense, Vaughn turned on his heel and began walking away.

"W-Wait!" she called out to him. She quickly wiped a tear away and scrambled to catch up to him. He wasn't slowing down, but she saw him glance at her from the corner of her eye.

"What do you want _now_?" he asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance etched into his voice.

"Heh, sorry if I offended you. I really do like your hair, though." He only grunted in response, but on the inside he appreciated the compliment, no matter how small. They then began walking in a comfortable silence from the ranch and to Mirabelle's Shop/house. Suddenly, a small smirk played along his face.

Time for revenge.

"So, how old are _you_?" he asked curiously.

"Twenty," she responded simply.

"Mmhmmmm," he murmured disbelievingly.

"I really am!" she pouted indignantly.

"Did I say that you weren't?"

"No, but you were thinking it," she growled.

"Whatever you say, 'Shorty'".

"'Grandpa'," she countered fiercely.

"'Small Fry,'" he argued back.

"'Green Giant'." This made Vaughn hesitate.

"'Green Giant'?" he questioned.

She looked up at him curiously. "You know; the guy from the string bean commercials? He always gave me the creeps when I was little." She shuddered involuntarily.

"So now I'm old _and _creepy?" he scoffed. She smiled teasingly as they finally made it to the door and she opened.

"If the cowboy hat fits..." she smirked, loud enough for Vaughn to hear when she stepped inside.

Hearing the bell jingle, Julia's head snapped up, and then she glanced at the two and smiled warmly. Vaughn headed straight for the kitchen fridge to drink some milk as Chelsea bounced over to greet her best friend.

"I hope Vaughn got you what you needed without any...problems," Julia told her, knowing how the animal transporter could act.

"Actually," Chelsea started, turning to smirk playfully at the cowboy who was also accompanying them in the kitchen, "he acted very _mature_ for his age."

This earned a loud, annoyed groan from Vaughn, a giggle from Chelsea, and a confused but satisfied expression from Julia.

She couldn't wait for the two of them to get together already.

**A/N: Like it? Love it? Tolerate it? Lemme know! If I left you wanting more, I may/may not make it a series of one-shots including Vaughn interacting with the other islanders. I'll take requests, too, because the Inspiration Fairy might not visit me too often. No flames, but constructive criticism is welcomed. The chances are, I'll get better rather than worse. R&R please!**


	2. A Day with Jungle Boy Pt 1

A Day with Jungle Boy

**A/N: Wow, back for more? I guess I'm not too shabby, huh? Anyways, thanks, all of you generous reviewers! You guys seriously made me feel amazing. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks, swingdancer23, for the idea of Vaughn spending a day with Shea. I guess you could say that I wanted to surprise you with this chapter. Well... SURPRISE!**

Today, we stalk our cowboy to find him wandering E. Town at just over noon on Wednesday. He had just gotten his fill from Luke's Diner, and was looking for something to do. Go to Mirabelle's? Nope, Julia had all of her girlish friends over. If he went there, he'd probably have to hide out in his room all day to block the sound of giggling, gossiping, and possibly talking about boys. The thought made his eye twitch. Go to Denny's? Well, he'd be out all day on his boat fishing for the famous "King Fish" he always rattled on and on about that may/may not exist. It took everything he had not to just get up and walk out of his shack whenever he brought up the subject. All the other islanders he either didn't know, didn't _want_ to know, or annoyed him.

Vaughn stopped in his tracks at the sight of a bridge up north. He didn't remember seeing it while he was on the island last week. He eventually came up with the conclusion that Chelsea had enough money to hire Gannon to build the bridge. He guessed she wasn't _too_ bad as a rancher... Brushing off the confusing thoughts of Chelsea that were starting to surface, he began to walk over towards the bridge to check out the area.

When he made it over the bridge, he scanned the vicinity. Tall trees and vines decorated everything above him, shielding most of the sunlight that tried to escape between patches of leaves. Vaughn easily figured that this was a jungle. He started to walk more into the region and look around. He liked that it was peaceful, besides the occasional sound of birds squawking up in the treetops. As long as he was cautious, didn't stay long at night, and looked for landmarks, he could learn how to make his way through the jungle without getting too lost and have a relaxed time. This could be his secret hideout getaway for when Julia (or anyone for that matter) would get on his nerves.

Suddenly, a pile of truffles caught his eye by a particularly large and thick tree. Bewildered, he walked over to it. It looked fresh, though the whole scene looked set up and, well, suspicious. Then, he felt something tightly grip his ankles and thrust him in the air so that he was hanging upside down. Thankfully, his hat stayed on his head.

"Hey!" he yelled, puzzled and irritated. He heard the rustling of a bush come from behind him. In the blink of an eye, a man appeared in front of Vaughn.

He had spikey, chestnut colored hair, two, bright orange tiger stripes painted on each cheek and arm, a sash across his chest and what looked like a sheath for a knife. He wore a shaggy, bright yellow loin cloth with black tiger stripes, and fingerless gloves and booty-like shoes with the same design. Vaughn also made it a point to be aware of the sharp spear he was holding. Vaughn glared at the man while the man looked at him disappointedly in return.

"Well?" Vaughn prodded impatiently. "Aren't you gonna get me down?"

"You not what I try to hunt," the man said glumly.

"Good to know," Vaughn said sarcastically, although he was nervous about the person in front of him. "But will you let me go?" The man's frown deepened as he studied Vaughn.

"I ask Wada 'bout you," he said finally. Then he started to run away from Vaughn's position.

"Get back here!" Vaughn yelled, but to no avail. In order to keep this as clean as possible, let's just say that Vaughn was thinking about doing some very inappropriate things to a certain native. Unfortunately, Vaughn was starting to get a little light-headed from all of the blood rushing to his head.

_By Goddess, _Vaughn thought angrily as he started to see black dots. _If that man didn't get his little "wannabe Tarz_an" butt b_ack here soon, I'_m gonn_a-_____

And that, folks, were Vaughn's last thoughts before passing out.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Wada!" Shea called after bursting into the hut. Wada looked up from the boiling cauldron and grinned at his foster-son.

"How...hunt?"

"It not go like I thought," Shea said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What...mean?" he asked, after realizing he didn't have a dead wild boar with him like they'd planned on him getting.

"I caught person with weird hair."

"Is hair...tasty...?" he asked hopefully.

"I not think so," Shea said thoughtfully. " I came ask what do with him." Wada hesitated, but sighed sadly.

"...Let go... It not wasteful..." Shea nodded at his point. They were both against being wasteful, but this was different because the man obviously wasn't cut out for being dinner food.

"Okay," Shea reiterated somewhat cheerfully. "I let man go." Shea ran out of the tent with a sudden burst of energy to make his way to the trap he set. Shea knew the jungle like the back of his hand, so finding Vaughn again wasn't difficult. Ten minutes later, Shea found Vaughn dangling from his ankles as he was previously, except only his eyes were closed.

"Person?" Shea said to Vaughn while standing in front of him.

No answer.

"Man?"

Still nothing.

Shea grabbed a long, thin branch on the ground and started poking him with it. He jabbed his his gut, nose, and his eye repeatedly. If you knew Vaughn, you'd know that he _had_ to be out cold to let Shea be this annoying. Finally, seeing the problem as though Vaughn was simply napping, Shea shrugged lazily and used his spear to cut the rope in one swift movement, ninja-style. Unfortunately for Vaughn, this caused him to fall head first onto the ground. Shea winced at the sight of Vaughn landing on his head, then his body being splayed on the ground, ending with him laying face-down.

_I hope he not be mad when wake up,_ Shea thought guiltily.

* * *

><p>Vaughn's eyes fluttered open and met the ones of Shea's chocolaty, brown ones, who was hovering over him.<p>

"You finally wake," Shea voiced concernedly.

"You!" Vaughn growled angrily. He bolted upright, ready to give Shea a piece of his mind, but a sharp pain in his head stopped him. He winced, feeling the top of his head that now had a big bump.

"What did you do to me?" Vaughn snapped. Shea took a sudden interest in the bear-skin rug with a look that just screamed "GUILT!"

"You...fall and hit head."

"How, exactly?" he asked accusingly as he slowly rose to his feet. He towered over Shea a good couple of inches, but Shea wasn't scared in the least. He'd fought scarier things than his own kind.

"When I help you," he answered timidly.

Vaughn softened slightly on the inside, glad that the native wasn't going to eat him, but his expression remained blank.

"So, you...helped me?" he questioned. Shea looked up to meet his stare and nodded.

"Thanks, I guess, even though _you're_ the one that put me up there in the first place," he said wryly.

Shea smiled, unaware of the irony. "Welcome."

"So...what's your name?" Vaughn interrogated.

"Shea," he said happily. "I strong warrior. What your name?"

"Vaughn," he answered carelessly. "I'm the animal transporter of these islands." Shea's stomach growled loudly at the word, "animal".

"I hungry," complained childishly. Vaughn automatically took a step back cautiously.

"Don't get any ideas," Vaughn warned seriously.

"I not eat you!_" _he said defensively. "Wada go hunting."

"Who's Wada?" Vaughn asked curiously.

"He my father and stronger warrior," he said proudly. "He be back, but I so hungry."

"When was the last time you ate?"

Shea looked thoughtful. "'Bout two moons ago..." Vaughn looked at him in shock.

"You haven't eaten for two nights?"

"I eat herbs," he answered sadly. "But they not always taste good."

Vaughn sighed begrudgingly. "I'll go buy you some food; it's on me."

"Really?" he asked ecstatically. "You nice!"

_Well, _that's_ new, _Vaughn thought, smirking.

"Come on," Vaughn said as he started to walk for the entrance.

Shea looked at him confusingly. "I go...with you?"

"Yep," he answered simply, reaching the door. "Let's go."

Shea hesitated; he'd never left the jungle before. Wada said the island was dangerous. Besides he wanted food, and Wada would be out hunting for a long time... Finally, he made up his mind, and rushed to catch up with Vaughn.

What could possibly happen?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry, cliffie, I know. I feel so guilty... But the next part will make up for it, I hope. I had put this off for too long, and just wanted to post _something, _so this will lead into the second (and last) part. Then I'll get onto the other islanders with Vaughn. I sorta have an idea for what might happen with Shea & Vaughn, but if you have any suggestions, let me know:) R&R!**

**P.S. YES**! Over **1,000 words****! Sorry for the length of the previous ch**apter... But th**anks, N**aty******17, for encour**************aging me to go over ******1,000. Inste**************************************************************************************ad, I got over 2,000 (including the **************************************************************************************author's note, though):D ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************I did it**********! **Ahem. 'K****************ay, sorry if I just w****************asted ******************************************15 seconds of your life -_-' You c**************************************************************************************an le**************************************************************************************ave now, lol. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************~Penny TG************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************


	3. A Day with Jungle Boy Pt 2

A Day with Jungle Boy Pt. 2

"Come on already!" Vaughn snapped, frustrated with Shea's lack of hustle. They had been at the foot of the bridge to E. Town for over ten minutes, with Shea staring frightfully at it the whole time. He could understand Shea being nervous about entering new territory, but this was ridiculous.

"But... What if something go wrong? What happen if bridge evil?" Shea questioned, scared. Vaughn was _really_ hoping that he wouldn't wet his loin cloth.

"Taking a few steps won't kill you. If anything, it's the annoying islanders you have to worry about," Vaughn muttered, adding unnatural sincerity. Well, unnatural for _him_, anyway.

"How you know?" he asked defensively.

"I'm a genius," Vaughn told him simply, keeping a straight face.

Shea stared at him carefully while Vaughn met his gaze evenly. After several moments of staring at each other, Shea finally took a deep breath and started walking cautiously across the bridge. When he was finally on the other side with Vaughn, he beamed bright like a Christmas tree.

"Yay!" Shea cheered. "I great warrior!"

"Uh-huh," Vaughn mumbled sarcastically, already beginning to turn and walk away. "You weren't acting like a baby at _all_."

"Right!" Shea crowed, glad Vaughn was supporting him in his mind.

Vaughn rolled his eyes, starting to regret being nice. This guy was beginning to turn out to be worse than Chelsea, and _that's_ saying something. Frowning, Vaughn looked up at the sky. It was starting to darken slowly, and he wasn't exactly sure how long he had been gone from Mirabelle's. He sighed, realizing how hysterical Julia and Mirabelle would act if he didn't turn up soon. The last thing he wanted was an unneeded search party in his honor.

"Before we eat, I've gotta go somewhere," Vaughn told Shea, heading off in the direction of W. Town.

"Awwww!" Shea whined exasperatedly. "But Diner right there!"

"Suck it up," was all Vaughn replied as he kept walking without stopping. "If you want, I could leave you at the Diner alone to eat..." He said the last part with mild hope.

Shea gulped and looked back at the Diner, which was filled with different people coming in and out of it. "Uh, that okay! I stay with you."

"Darn," Vaughn said under his breath. They continued walking and made it to W. Town without being stopped by anyone, and then headed up to Mirabelle's house.

"Okay; stay here, don't move, don't talk to anyone, and most importantly - _keep all deadly weapons to yourself_," Vaughn directed sternly. "Got it?"

Shea stared at him blankly before nodding vigorously. "I think I got something!"

Vaughn studied him incredulously before brushing off his words and heading into the house. The annoying sound of the bell rang overhead and caused two heads to snap up; Mirabelle and Julia's heads, to be exact. Vaughn groaned loudly in irritation at their excited and thankful faces. Maybe if he moved backwards _really _slowly...

"There you are!" Mirabelle exclaimed happily before rushing over to give him a bone-crushing hug.

_What is it with women and hugs? _Vaughn thought amidst his pain, thinking back to the time when Chelsea had nearly killed him when he said he liked the way she raised her animals. That had made practically no sense.

"Make room for me, Mom!" Julia said, joining them in the "Happy Fest". Once again, he brought up the hug topic in his mind.

"G-Get off of me!" Vaughn said embarrassedly, shoving them off of him. "Yes, I'm not dead; it's miracle!"

"We're not happy because of you, 'Mr. Conceited'," Julia told him playfully. "Elliot proposed to me!"

She then started squealing and jumping up and down like a girly maniac, leaving Vaughn to just blink at her. He wasn't sure whether he should be offended that they weren't worried about him or glad. He finally just settled with being glad.

"So, the nerd finally asked, huh?" Vaughn asked, smirking and crossing his arms smugly. "I didn't know he had the-"

"Vaughn!" Julia and Mirabelle both yelled in unison distastefully.

"Guts," Vaughn finished humorously. "I was just going to say 'guts'. Why, what did you _think_ I was going to say?" The girls both turned red-faced in embarrassment.

"A-Anyway," Julia stammered, eager to change the subject and get payback. "When are you and Chelsea gonna get hitched?"

Now it was Vaughn's turn to find his inner tomato. "Never!" he shouted, distressed. "When will you get that through your thick skull?"

"Okay, okay; sheesh! I was just teasing," Julia said, amused at Vaughn's reaction to the mention of her best friend.

"Whatever," Vaughn mumbled, pulling down his hat to cover his hot face. (**A/N: **And yes, I mean the _temperature_ hot, folks). "I'm going to the Diner."

"But when you left, you had already gone to the Diner," Mirabelle stated questioningly.

"Yeah, well, I'm still hungry," he responded. "Plus, I'm sorta going with someone..."

"Wow, Vaughn, did you make a new friend?" Julia teased him.

"I'd hardly call him a friend," he murmured.

"Who are they?" Mirabelle asked curiously.

"His name is-"

Suddenly, a loud, familiar shriek pierced the air from outside the house.

"That sounds like..." Julia mused. Vaughn's eyes widened in realization.

"Chelsea!" he shouted when the thought fully processed. They all hurried outside to find a very random scene taking place.

Chelsea and Elliot were hiding behind the shipping bin by Taro's house, Shea was trying to defend himself from Taro whacking him powerfully with his cane repeatedly, and Natalie and Charlie were on the sidelines, cheering for him. Plus, Chelsea's beagle, Hershey, was running around in circles, barking wildly. Gannon came running out of his house with an iron hammer in his hand, ready to smash whatever was causing the commotion. Eliza came trailing after him, looking the least scary-looking between her and her ape-like father.

Vaughn couldn't help himself; he started chuckling loudly.

His laughter was so unanticipated that everyone's heads turned to face him and everything stopped abruptly. Hershey even stopped and stared at him, cocking his head to the side slightly.

"Vaughn!" Shea yelled and started to run toward him. "Help me!" This only made him chuckle louder and harder.

"Help _you_?" Chelsea yelled skeptically. "You're the one that almost killed me with that knife of yours!"

"When I see strange thing coming toward me, I defend self!" he stated, frustrated.

"We're chicks, moron," Natalie huffed with her arms crossed.

"Aha!" Shea crowed proudly, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You _are _animals! I knew it."

Everyone gave him weird looks while Eliza made the "cuckoo" sign and Vaughn rubbed his temples.

He sighed. "Islanders, meet Shea. Shea, meet the islanders." They all waved tentatively at him.

"So just to be clear, he _isn't_ going to try to kill anyone?" Taro asked slowly, walking over to him. Vaughn shot a quick glare at Shea who smiled bashfully.

"He better not," he growled. Then he turned to the rest of them. "Sorry for Shea's stupidity. We'll be leaving now." He grabbed Shea's arm and started to pull him toward E. Town.

"I sorry!" Shea called over his shoulder. Suprisingly enough, they all gave him small smiles.

"I think you've caused enough trouble today, don't you?" Vaughn asked him rhetorically when they were out of earshot. _How many people was he going to try to kill today?_

"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly. Glancing back at Shea, he saw that he really meant it. He was just that naive.

"Let's just go and eat," Vaughn grumbled. Shea cheered up.

"'Kay!" They walked into E. Town and finally to the Diner. Shea walked in first and started sniffing the air.

"Mmmmmm..." he murmured, as if in a trance. Vaughn side stepped around him and beckoned for him to follow. Together they went up to the counter to order.

"Welcome!" Nick greeted in a jovial voice, then studied Vaughn. "I remember seeing you earlier today."

"Well, I'm back, unless you want me to leave," Vaughn said in his usual gruff voice.

Nick's smile became slightly forced. "No, not at all! What can I get you two gentlemen?" He handed them both menus. Shea stared blankly at his menu.

"What this?" he questioned.

"Um, a menu," Nick answered in confusion.

"What is the stuff on it?" Shea asked him, glaring at him.

"The words?" Vaughn asked incredulously. Shea nodded curtly in affirmation.

"So you can't read?" Vaughn asked with annoyance.

"Uh, if you mean I look only at pictures, then yes."

Vaughn groaned loudly. He should've saw that one coming.

"We'll both have porridge," Vaughn told Nick.

"Coming right up!" he declared and disappeared around the back. Vaughn and Shea took a seat at the table.

"What porridge?" Shea questioned.

"It's delicious," Vaughn reassured him in a monotonous voice. "Sometimes I love it more than life itself."

Shea blinked at him, puzzled, but shrugged off his comment and studied the design of the tablecloth out of boredom. Minutes later, Nick came from the back, carrying two big bowls of porridge.

"Here ya go! Cold, just the way you like it, sir." He set the bowls on the table in front of them. Vaughn picked up his spoon and dug in while Shea stared quizzically at it.

"What's wrong?" Vaughn asked, noticing his lack of enthusiasm.

"It looks...lumpy," Shea told him. Vaughn took another spoonful.

"Yeah, so?"

"Looks like what I hurled after eating poisonous mushrooms."

"Now you're just being mean."

"Why can't I just eat fish?"

"Because I decided to be nice enough to buy you your first real meal in days, so the least you could do is eat it. That's why."

Shea sighed and picked up his spoon. He stuck it into the gooey substance, then became nervous by the way it just stood straight up in the goop even after he removed his hand. Shea looked pleadingly at Vaughn, which Vaughn ignored and continued emptying his bowl. Shea gulped, picked up the spoon, and shoved it into his mouth. That's when he fainted.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so maybe giving you porridge wasn't the best thing to do," Vaughn admitted openly after Shea woke up about twenty minutes later.<p>

"Really?" Shea said sarcastically and glared at him. They were now walking out of the diner and into the cool, late afternoon air.

"I _know_," Vaughn told him, shrugging. They continued on to the bridge that lead to the Jungle. Shea wasn't all that happy to be going back.

Shea walked haughtily across the bridge, trying to prove his bravery. Vaughn rolled his eyes.

"Vaughn, why were you laughing before?" Shea asked suddenly.

Vaughn shrugged. "Guess I found it funny that you obviously didn't listen to me about staying still or not attacking anyone. Then you paid the price in the most comical way. Call it karma."

"Oh," was all Shea said in response. Ten minutes later Shea's hut came into view.

"Guess I must go now," Shea said sadly.

"Guess so," Vaughn replied nonchalantly. Then Shea's face brightened.

"We should do this again!"

"Uh..." Vaughn said uncertainly.

"Yes!" Shea continued excitedly. "I teach you to hunt, and you can see Wada, and we eat fish and other things that won't make me barf, and-"

"AAAAAAAAARRRG!" a voice screeched from above the trees. Vaughn looked up, only to see a man dressed almost the same way as Shea was, sucking on what looked like a lizard as he was launching himself from his perch on a branch at Vaughn.

"What the-" Vaughn was thrown onto the ground, landing on his back with a painful thud. The man was kneeling on Vaughn's chest, pinning him down.

Shea was unfazed by the man's attack and simply watched it all go down with interest. Moments went by while Vaughn stared into the malicious eyes of his attacker.

"Shea," Vaughn whispered frantically. "Help me!"

Shea walked over to him and tapped on the man's shoulder innocently. The man's head whipped around, and when he saw Shea, his face softened.

"Um, Wada," Shea began sweetly. "Uh, will you please get off new friend?" Wada stared at Vaughn thoroughly, but eventually got off of him. Vaughn picked himself up and dusted himself off while glaring at Wada.

"Friend of yours?" Vaughn fumed and asked Shea, jerking a thumb at Wada.

"Yes, this my father, Wada!" Shea introduced him. Then Wada slapped Shea upside the head.

"Ow! Shea cried. "What that for?"

"That for...making me worry," Wada glared at him. He grabbed Shea's ear like a mother would do to her own child and dragged him toward the house with Shea pouting indignantly the whole way.

"Bye Vaughn," Shea called to him sadly. "Hope to see you again."

Vaughn watched the two enter the hut then rubbed his temples from the huge headache that was developing.

_Okay, that's the last time I'll ever be nice to a person that tries to kill me, _Vaughn promised himself. Then he made his way out of the jungle to take a very long nap at Mirabelle's. It was days like this that he wished he could just go into hibernation like a bear and forget about the world. But of course, the Harvest Goddess just loves to pester him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh Vaughn, it isn't the Harvest Goddess that's making your life annoying, it's me! Is it just me, or is it uber fun to mess with Vaughn and make him almost get killed not once, but _twice _in the same funny way? Ah, the ways we get laughs from a hot, emo cowboy... **

**Sorry for the wait guys. My laptop decided to stop working, so now I've gotta always ask to use my mom's computer (which she is usually on & I can't use it often). Soooooo, what did ya think? Thank you those who review. Love you guys! Review please!**

**P.S. A HUGE thank you shout-out to my beta, swingdancer23. Love ya:)**


	4. Me, Myself, and More Me!

**A/N: Hey, my little readers! Guess what? You get another chapter! I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long. I have no real excuse besides the fact that school sucks. So, I hope you enjoy!**

**P.S. I'm gonna try writing in Chelsea, the Harvest Goddess (momentarily), and Vaughn's POV, so I'm pretty excited. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm jumping from POVs too much, it sorta wrote itself, lol. Lemme know how I do, will ya? Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Just to let you know, I sorta got this idea after thinking about an episode of Teen Titans, the cartoon. Raven, one of the characters, was in a position like Vaughn will be. Plus, she reminds me of Vaughn in all of his emo, anti-social glory. If you haven't heard of Teen Titans, I recommend you watch it sometime:)**

**With that said, on with the story! **

* * *

><p>Me, Myself, and... More Me?<p>

Vaughn's POV

I was sitting in Mirabelle's kitchen, reading a book titled, How to Keep Your Cool. Before you jump to conclusions, like that I actually _want_ to read this, let me just point out that Mirabelle got it for me ordered me to read it, and I kinda owe her. You know, with her being my aunt, giving me a job, and letting me stay on Wednesdays and Thursdays and all. Plus, the book had some pretty good tips, like how to refrain from punching someone's lights out; for a while, at least.

Anyway, I was just sitting around reading peacefully, not bothering anyone, when guess who decided to burst through the doors noisily like the sky was falling?

Yep, my blond, airheaded cousin, Julia. What have I done to deserve this punishment, Goddess?

"Oh, Vaughn!" she squealed in a voice so high-pitched that it couldn't possibly be normal, making my ears ring.

But then again, there was no _way _Julia was normal.

"Guess what sweet, thoughtful thing Elliot did for me?" she asked excitedly, plopping down in the seat next to me. I sighed.

Here we go...

"Let me guess," I said sarcastically, pretending to actually think about the question without even glancing up from my book. "He...switched you to decaf?"

She pouted, puffing out her cheeks in a childish manner. "Noooooo..." Then she held out her hand in front of my face, blocking my view from the text.

Right when I was about to tell her off, a shiny, golden band around her ring finger caught my eye. It was, without a doubt, a ring.

"Dang," I said, slightly impressed. "That's almost better than switching you to decaf. The nerd got you that?"

"Yep!" she said, grinning proudly. "His family has connections with a jewelry store in the city and he was able to get this at a reasonable price, just for me!"

"Not bad," I shrugged, removing her hands from the book in front of me, "but I still think you should stick to decaf." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm gonna ignore that comment, because I know that you're just jealous that I found true love, and that you're too scared to ask out Chelsea, admit that you love her, get married, have loads of kids-"

"A-Are you insane?" I cut her off sharply, noting that it felt like it just got several degrees hotter. "One, I'm _not _jealous that you love your little nerd, and two, I _don't _like Chelsea, let alone love her! We're just barely friends, for Goddess' sake!"

Her eyes looked like they had flames in them which, I admit, took me aback. "Stop calling Elliot a nerd!" she snarled. "And you know you like her!"

"I'll stop calling him a nerd when you stop implying that I have feelings for Chelsea!" I growled back.

"Okay, Vaughn," she began, her tone low and serious. "Answer me this; what's wrong with Chelsea? Why would it be impossible to like her?"

Once again, she had me. I didn't know the answer anymore than I knew what Julia saw in Elliot. Yet, there was a tiny part of my mind that wanted to throw Julia's words at me, screw with my head, and shove the impossible answer in my face like it was the easiest question ever; which I assure you, it isn't. But there was no way I was gonna tell _her_ that.

"I don't have to answer to you, you dumb blond," I snapped, then rose out of my chair and quickly made my way to my room.

Before I could slam my door, I heard Julia bellow, "Fine! Be that way, jerk!"

I brushed off her lame insult. It wasn't the first time that I'd been called that and more, and it wouldn't be the last. I simply lay down on my bed, ready to take a nap and forget our little fight. I had better things to do than dwell on her nagging, and it was time for me to slip into another dreamless sleep. But sadly, my subconscious decided to have a mind of its own during the time of my nap.

* * *

><p><span>Chelsea's POV<span>

"Fine! Be that way, jerk!"

I could hear my friend, Julia, yell this from my position outside the shop. Then I heard the loud slamming of a door. I was just about to enter for a visit, with my hand already on the doorknob when I heard her furious yelling.

I wasn't really sure what I could be getting into by going in now, but I decided that it might be the right thing to try to calm Julia down and chat. I gathered my bearings and walked in and heard the cheery jingle of the bell, which felt oddly ironic with the tense mood able to be felt.

Julia whipped around and I saw her probably the most angry than I've ever seen her. When she saw me her expression softened immediately, and she tried to give me an unconvincing smile.

"Hey, Chels," she greeted as I walked over to her.

"Jules, are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, waving a hand dismissively, but her voice wavered almost so inaudibly that it'd take her best friend (_moi_) to hear. "Vaughn's just being a grump, as usual."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I offered kindly. She bit down on her lip nervously, as if having an internal battle with herself. Finally, she just sighed.

"I...probably shouldn't," she told me earnestly. "Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" I asked, unnerved by her inability to tell me something.

"Nope!" she said, trying to regain her happy nature.

"Well, I was hoping we could go hang out and go to the Diner-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I was about to go have lunch with Elliot! And I'm pretty sure Vaughn's in a pretty bad mood... Can I take a rain check?"

"Um, sure," she said, trying not to sound too disheartened. "Maybe later or tomorrow..."

"Thank you, Chelsea!" she told me, giving me a big hug that I gladly returned. "Bye!" She rushed out, leaving me to stare hopelessly after her.

I was still confused at Julia and Vaughn's actions. I knew that their relationship was already rocky at best, and didn't want it to be even worse. Julia was getting married next week; it should be a little more joyful around here! I wanted to help out my friends, and I thought I knew just the person who could get the job done.

.oOo.

I kneeled at the foot of the Goddess' spring, rummaging through my rucksack. Finally, I found what I was looking for - a juicy, ripe strawberry; and no, it wasn't for me. I stood and held it over the pond, then let fall and land in with a quiet _plunk!_ Moments later, I saw the familiar shimmer of sparkles on the surface, then a brilliant white flash, and lastly the appearance of a woman hovering over the pond.

She had beautiful, forest green hair woven in a long plait with the addition of two buns decorated with flowers, and a flowing, pale blue silk dress and cape. And let's not forget a smile that could make even Vaughn feel at ease.

_That's the Harvest Goddess for you, _I mused as I took in the immortal's breath-taking appearance.

"Dum, da-da-daaaaa!" the goddess sang out, as she did whenever I summoned her. "Well, if it isn't my favorite human. Thanks for the strawberry, Chelsea!"

"You're welcome! Aw, you're my favorite...goddess," I replied happily.

"More like the _only _goddess," she corrected me comically, "but thanks for saying so."

I grinned bashfully. "Heh, yeah, I guess you're right about that..."

"So, my goddess intuition tells me that there's a specific reason why you're here, and it's not just to give me my favorite fruit," the Harvest Goddess prodded.

"Oh, right!" I snapped into focus. "Well, I need a favor..." I recalled the memory of Vaughn and Julia fighting earlier.

"Well, you see, my friends Julia and Vaughn-"

"Hyper-active blond and grumpy cowboy," she stated from memory. "Go on."

I couldn't help but giggle. "Yes, that's them. Well, they fought over something this morning, as usual, but this one was pretty heated. I don't think that this much fighting is good for them; their relationship is already rocky as it is! So I was hoping there was something you could do to maybe help them remember how much they care about each other, if you don't mind..."

"Hm..." was all the goddess replied with. Suddenly her face lit up and she snapped her fingers with a fresh idea stored in mind. "I know just the thing!"

"Really?" I asked, surprised by her quick-thinking. The goddess truly never disappointed. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise," she told me slyly, winking. "But what I _will_ tell you is that by tomorrow morning, Vaughn will have a newfound appreciation for his family."

"That sounds awesome!" I exclaimed fervently. "Thank you so much!" I waved goodbye and ran off, fueled by my bubbling happiness. But I couldn't help wondering what the goddess had in store for Vaughn...

* * *

><p><span>Harvest Goddess's POV<span>

As I watched Chelsea sprint away, a mischievous smirk slowly filled my flawless features.

_This, _I thought, _was gonna be good._

* * *

><p><span>Vaughn's POV<span>

I was standing alone in the dark, not even able to see my own two hands held up inches from my face. I walked around a bit and I ran into something huge and hard, and unfortunately landed backwards on my butt. The last thing I expected was there to be a brick wall here. Suddenly, as if flipping on a light switch, a blinding light filtered the place. Finally able to see, I looked straight ahead from a sitting position and found I had bumped into a...leg?

Slowly, I brought up my gaze. Yep, it was a leg, and a massive one at that; the size that could only belong to a giant. Several meters away there was another one. By this time I was tilting my head backwards to get a better view above me. I could make out silk clothing and long, braided green hair. The face was too hard to get a look at with all of the light beaming down on me.

"Vaughn," said a feminine, velvety voice. The hair on the back of my neck bristled and I rose to my feet.

"Who are you?" I demanded, but it was basically as if I was talking to a tall pillar. A giggle rang into the air like the chime of bells, and I have to admit, it threw me aback.

"Forgive me," the voice said smoothly, "I did not mean to frighten you. This is not, in fact, my favorite form. Allow me to show you and put you more at ease."

Yeah, like I could really be at ease at the mercy of a giant.

The being before me shimmered slightly, and before I knew it the leg was getting smaller and smaller. Seconds later, a beautiful woman stood, or floated, rather, before me.

"Hello, Vaughn," she greeted me. "I am the Harvest Goddess." I snorted.

"Yeah, and I'm the Easter Bunny." I saw a flicker of annoyance cross her face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Believe it or not, human, it's true. I have come to you in your dreams as a request."

"A request from who?" I asked, letting my curiosity get the best of me.

"That is on a need-to-know basis only, and that is something you need not know," she told me playfully.

"Whatever," I replied coolly. "If you really _are _the almighty Harvest Goddess, and I'm not saying that you are; then what do you want with me?"

"I simply want to take you on a journey to enlighten yourself," she explained calmly.

"Not gonna happen," I said defiantly. "This is all just a dream. And when I pinch myself, I'll be back in my bed."

And with that, I gave myself a good pinch on the arm. To my surprise, nothing happened. I tried again while blinking my eyes. When I opened my eyes, the woman was still there, buffing her fingernails on her clothing impassively. Frustrated, pinched myself again and again, but still nothing happened.

"Are you finished?" the goddess voiced amusedly. I let out a low growl.

"Why the heck aren't I waking up?"

"You don't wake up until I say so," she said in the tone that you'd use to talk to a little kid. "If I wanted to, I could leave you here in an eternal slumber. But all you have to do to avoid that is listen to me."

I was beginning to panic. I know I always voiced that I wanted to sleep my days away, but I didn't mean it literally.

I gulped, and then was careful my voice and face showed no emotion. "Fine. What kind of journey?"

* * *

><p><strong><strong>AN: Okay, before you throw dictionaries at me, let me just say that I'm very sorry for the long wait I put you through, then gave you this. SO sorry. This is pretty much filler. It seems like I can't write anything without two parts! I hope the next chapter helps you guys feel better.****


	5. Me, Myself, and More Me! Part 2

**A/N: Hi, readers! I'm SO sorry for the seventh month long wait. I was facing school mixed with a lot of writer's block, so I put this on hold for a bit and started another story on FF's sister site. But now it's SUMMER VACATION! I'm back feeling better than ever. So I hope you accept my apology and enjoy. :D**

**Disclaimer: If I ever owned Barbie, I would've _dis_owned her a LONG time ago. I don't own HM, either, but if I did these events would totally go into the game. X)**

* * *

><p>Me, Myself, and...More Me? Part 2<p>

Sighing, I walked down a narrow trail in a meadow. Trees, grass, and flowers sprouted on opposite sides of me. A huge, yellow sun with a big happy face was smiling down on me (I _wish_ I was kidding). Birds flew about my head, singing a tune back and forth. I guess most of the scenery would be calming to anyone else, and even me.

That is, if I wasn't being held captive in my own subconscious by a demented goddess.

_I heard that, _came an annoying voice in my head that was unmistakably the so-called "Harvest Goddess."

I let out a frustrated groan, running my fingers through my hair. I couldn't even think without my thoughts being invaded. _Was nothing sacred?_

"You forgot again, huh?" a high-pitched voice squeaked.

Oh yeah, and let's not forget the midget the H.G. assigned me to make sure I "didn't get into trouble" named Finn, I think. But for the record, I wasn't really sure what kind of protection someone could get from a six-inch-tall kid/fairy thing looking like a freaking miniature Santa Claus with his clothing. Currently he was buzzing around my head like an unshakable fly.

"I told you before; the Goddess knoweth all!" he chided.

"What did I tell you about talking?" I snapped.

"'Only do it if I really, really, _really _need to,'" he quoted me.

"Good. Now, don't talk. At all."

"I don't know what Chelsea sees in you," I just barely heard him grumble.

I whirled on him, causing him to smack into my face and fall on the ground. I towered over him with a cynical look in my eyes, and he looked like he wanted to cry.

"You know what? Right now, I've got about half a mind to step on you and see if sparkles come out like a piñata. "

"No, don't!" a shrill voice came from behind me.

I slowly turned around and stared into eyes that could only be described as matching my own. Silver hair portruded messily out of a Stetson hat. He had my cowboy look down perfectly...

Except for the part about him being dressed in all pink.

I mean it. He had a pink Stetson, hot pink cowboy boots, pale pink shirt, and fuchsia vest. It was like Gannon's kid had cloned me to have as her personal Barbie doll! Needless to say, I had a look of pure horror on my face as I backed away from the "diva me."

"Hey..." Vaughn #2 looked me up and down thoughtfully. "You look kinda like me...except more drab-looking."

"Oh yeah?" I retaliated out of habit. "At least I don't look like a Barbie's Dreamhouse threw up all over me."

Pink Vaughn (who I will now resort to calling Pinky) gasped in offense, looking clearly hurt. "You take that back right now, meanie!"

I blinked. _"Meanie?" _How could this thing even _look _like me!

"Hey, Goddess!" I yelled up into the heavens (if my dream could hold a place that led to the heavens, that is). "Right now would be a great time to do some explaining!"

"I think she wants me to do it," Finn said when nothing happened. "Sit tight, because it's time for story time."

"Yay!" Pinky squealed and plopped on the floor, crossing his legs and eagerly awaiting a "story." I simply crossed my arms impatiently.

Finn watched Pinky's little act bemusedly, but when he saw my cold glare he cleared his throat and began to talk. "Happy, as you can see, looks exactly like you. This is because he _is _you; he's just an emotion of you that you never show. What the Harvest Goddess wants you to do is meet all of your emotions and get to know them, then see what you learn."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, putting a hand to my temples and exhaling slowly. "You mean...there are _more_ of things like him running around?"

"In a physical sense, yes. But not all of them will act as..._enthusiastic_ as Happy. Like I said, each of them represents one of your emotions."

"And just how many emotions do I have?" I asked skeptically. Up until now, I thought my only emotions was cold and antisocial. Apparently I was wrong.

Finn smirked. "We'll just have to see now, won't we?"

"Yes!" Pinky/Happy jumped up, doing a little dance. He sang,_ "We're goin' on a journey, we're goin' on a journey, we're goin' on a-"_

"Keep singing and I'll beat you until you're as 'drab' as I am," I threatened with a steely gaze, smacking him upside the head. But when struck him I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head as well.

"Ow!" we yelped at the same time. Finn somehow found this hilarious and started cracking up, barely able to stay airborne while laughing so hard.

"O-Oh, did I forget to t-tell you?" he managed to gasp between giggles. "Since you and your emotions are practically one-in-the-same, if you ever do harm to them you'll feel it too. The same goes vice-versa."

"Oh... So we're like twins!" Happy jumped up and down looking...happy.

"You could say that," Finn started to burst into a fit of giggles again.

I responded by flicking him away from me and marching in the opposite direction.

"Um, Vaughn?" Finn called me.

I turned around and through gritted teeth said, "Yes?"

He pointed back the way we came. "You're going the wrong way."

I groaned and marched back towards them until I was moving at a quicker pace.

"He doesn't like me, does he?" I heard Happy whisper to Finn.

I could already see him grinning like an idiot as he responded, "Don't worry. He doesn't like a lot of his emotions."

.OoO.

We walked for what I could only guess was thirty minutes until we came to the edge of the happy forest. It was like a line was drawn in the dirt because the forest stopped so abruptly. As soon as we exited we were in a deserted ghost town and it started raining. Warehouses and allies lined the sides of the roads in between condemned buildings. Stray pieces of garbage floated around aimlessly, and one nearly smacked into Finn.

"Great," I sighed. "This is just perfect. Let's hope we find another emotion in this dump."

"I agree," Finn said.

The three of us walked into a deserted building that looked like it used to be a cafe. Tables were scattered around the room with faded floral designs on the parts of wallpaper that weren't already peeling off to reveal the wooden skeleton. The counter was dusty and I'm pretty sure I saw a roach crawl across it.

Overall, the place was hygienically-challenged.

"Ugh, I hope I don't get dirt all over my outfit," Pinky whined.

"Man-up," I rolled my eyes as I pulled up a seat and sat down. The rest followed suit. We waited for a while in silence that was just fine by me, but apparently Pinky never had to go so long without talking.

"I'm boooored!" he complained. "Vaughnie, I'm going to play outside. Rain is fun. Bye!" And he scampered out the door.

My eye twitched, and all ll I could manage to say was, "Did he just call me 'Vaughnie?'" Finn just snickered at me.

I folded my arms on the table and layed my head down. I closed my eyes and started to relax, and before I knew it I was slowly drifting off. Could you even fall asleep in a dream?

Anyway, I was practically asleep when I was rudely awakened by a scream. The voice, of course, belonged to Pinky.

_"VAUGHN! I FOUND OUR LONG LOST BROTHER!"_

My head shot up and I let out a startled scream of my own before falling out of my chair. On my back, I slowly blinked my eyes and stared into Pinky's grinning face.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't pound you into oblivion," I growled, sitting up and rubbing my head.

"_Because,_ I found an emotion!" he cheered in a matter-of-fact voice.

I raised an eyebrow, "Really? Which one?"

"Well, it's just a hunch, but I think he's where you get your...antisocial quietness."

I couldn't stop a lopsided smile from forming on my face. "_Finally,_ someone I'll be able to relate too."

I stood up and dusted myself off before walking out the door. The first thing I saw was the back of a man who looked just like me, except he was dressed in all gray and silver. He was standing in the middle of the empty street and looked like he was just staring down at the ground.

Pinky was suddenly at my side and whispered, "I tried talking to him but he won't say anything."

Again I smiled. "I like this guy already."

I started to walk up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He slowly looked up and turned around to face me. Just as I assumed, he had my exact same features, except his eyes looked somewhat empty and lifeless, and his mouth was contorted in a simple straight line.

"Hey, I'm the original Vaughn," I introduced myself bluntly. "You're coming with me so I can get out of this place. Understand?"

He didn't respond so I took that as a "yes." I grabbed his forearm and dragged him back to were Pinky and Finn were standing/flying.

"Meet the new addition to our little group," I said. "I'm gonna call him...Quell."

"Brother!" Pinky glomped him with a tight hug. "We'll be together forever!"

"Meh," Quell let out a strained gasp and pushed him off.

"Bad Happy!" Finn scolded. "No choking the new guy!" Pinky pouted but released him, causing Quell to gulp for air.

I rubbed my face with my hands wearily. "Two down, and who knows how many to go."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I had a lot of fun writing this much so I just decided to stop here. There will be a third and final part after this, and I promise I won't make you wait another seven months. (Again, REALLY sorry about that... -_-") And for the record, I know Finn isn't the right sprite for the game, but I love Finn so I made it him. ^^"**

**But tell me, what did you think about Pinky/Happy and Quell/Placid? I hope they made you laugh - or at least Happy did. Quell is a little on the quiet-side...like Mori from OHSHC! I'm pretty proud of myself for making that analogy since Mori's one of my my favorite characters. ;) But anyway, we have just a few more of Vaughn's emotions to go, including the most important one: L-O-V-E. (*hint hint*)**

**Well, review?**

**~Penny TG**


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